Community Service

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.-- Mahatma Gandhi

Mortar Board at UCLA is extremely passionate about community service! We believe that a society cannot be truly successful with a mentality that every individual should only worry about themselves and in the end things will work out for the best. Community service is about building a stronger community, whether on campus, in the neighborhood, city, state, or any other type of community. By devoting ourselves to Mortar Board’s third ideal – Service, we are able to understand the pressing challenges that face the community; and as young leaders, we begin to develop creative and successful approaches for resolving these issues. Please continue reading to learn about some of our exciting community service partnerships:

Friends of Animals Foundation Friends of Animals Foundation is a non-profit no-kill rescue and shelter dedicated to the loving care and thoughtful placement of homeless dogs and cats. Established in 1983, FOAF has rescued and found loving, responsible families for thousands of pets. It gives devoted care to all, including medical attention, spaying and neutering, behavioral assistance and some training. FOAF is committed to saving as many unwanted animals as possible in the greater Los Angeles area. Volunteers cuddle, feed and care for a kitten or a sweet, friendly senior cat, or take a dog out for a walk in the sunshine. More information about Friends of Animals Foundation is available here.

Heal the Bay Heal the Bay is a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to making Southern California coastal waters and watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay, safe, healthy and clean. They use research, education, community action and advocacy to pursue their mission. Heal the Bay’s volunteer opportunities include projects that take place at the beach, in the office, at a school and even up a creek. More information about Heal the Bay is available here.

UCLA’s “I’m Going to College” UCLA's I'm Going to College program, the nation's largest collegiate community outreach effort, has touched the lives of thousands of elementary, middle, and high school students across Southern California. This unique program couples the excitement and tradition of UCLA Athletic events with a message about the importance of higher education. Upon arrival at the event (3 hours before the game), students are greeted by a UCLA Alumnus, current student, or student-athlete volunteer, and are then led to the IGTC fair area. Students are immediately immersed in Bruin traditions, as they learn the spirited UCLA Eight Clap and the importance of higher education. While at the college fair, students speak with academic counselors and pick up educational information about questions they may have regarding education and preparing for college. Students also have the opportunity to get autographs from student-athletes and speak with current UCLA students who assist with the college fair. Other fun fair activities include carnival games, activity books, a DJ, community outreach booths, give-aways, and removable tattoos where students and even some of their teachers can get into the UCLA spirit before heading into the stadium. By placing young students into a collegiate atmosphere that stresses the excellence of both education and athletics, UCLA hopes to build positive relationships with young people in the community and to motivate them to continue achieving goals in both school and life. More information about UCLA's I'm Going to College program is available here.

Los Angeles Regional Foodbank The Los Angeles Regional Foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that has been serving the disadvantaged of our community for more than 35 years. They are at the heart of a charitable food distribution network of over 560 charitable agencies with more than 1,000 sites in Los Angeles County, providing food for more than 800,000 meals a week. Each year, the Foodbank distributes over 54 million pounds of food to soup kitchens, homeless shelters, emergency food assistance pantries, and programs serving low-income children, families, seniors, and other individuals living in need. More information about the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank is available here.

Parents of Watts After the notorious Watts Riots of 1965, Mortar Board Honorary Member “Sweet” Alice Harris realized that the violence in her community often stemmed from a lack of communication between neighboring African Americans and Hispanics. In the late 1960s, she formed the Black and Brown Committee to encourage meaningful communication across ethnic lines. In 1979, the Black and Brown Committee grew into an organization called Parents of Watts; Harris serves as its director. Over three decades after its inception, Parents of Watts sponsors more than a dozen different programs relating to education, job search assistance, job training, voter registration, counseling, drug abuse prevention, and even such basics as the provision of food, clothing, and shelter when necessary. Without POW-sponsored programs and a mentor like Harris, many Watts youths would never have been able to attend college. The program's services have expanded over the years to provide emergency shelter, housing for the mentally ill, a computer lab and education center, and a residence for college students.

Project Angel Food Project Angel Food's mission is to nourish the body and spirit of men, women and children struggling with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Volunteers and staffcook and deliver free and nutritious meals prepared with love throughout Los Angeles, acting out of a sense of urgency because hunger and illness do not wait. More information about Project Angel Food is available here.

Project Chicken SoupProject Chicken Soup is a non-profit organization which provides nutritious, kosher meals to people living with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles County, in observance of the Jewish commandment of tikkun olam, healing the world through service to humankind. Project Chicken Soup’s volunteer opportunities include cooking, packaging, and delivering meals on most Sundays throughout the year. More information about Project Chicken Soup is available here.

Reading to Kids Reading to Kids is a grassroots organization dedicated to inspiring underserved children with a love of reading, thereby enriching their lives and opportunities for success in the future. To this end, Reading to Kids gathers on average 955 children and 425 volunteers at reading clubs on the second Saturday of every month at eight Los Angeles elementary schools. At the monthly reading clubs, pairs of volunteers read aloud to small groups of children, while their parents receive training on how to encourage their children to read at home. Kids, parents, teachers, and school libraries receive book donations at the end of the Reading Clubs. These are important donations, as 60 percent of low-income homes do not have age-appropriate reading materials for children. More information about Reading to Kids is available here.

Relay For Life One day. One night. One community. Relay For Life is about celebration, remembrance, and hope. By walking, jogging, or running in this all-night relay event, participants honor cancer survivors, pay tribute to the lives we've lost to the disease, and raise money to help fight it all right here in our community. More information about Relay For Life is available here.

Santa Monica Dino Fair The Ocean Park campus of the Growing Place, a full-day, non-profit preschool program, hosts a Dino Fair annually in the spring. This annual family festival, tailored especially for young children, is a fun filled, developmentally appropriate fair that features bouncy castles, volcanoes, a petting zoo, games, music, food, and prizes. The Dino Fair raises funds to help low income families with tuition assistance. More information about the Growing Place and the Dino Fair is available here.

TreePeopleTreePeople is an environmental nonprofit that unites the power of trees, people and technology to grow a sustainable future for Los Angeles. They inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share the results as a model for the world. Volunteering with TreePeople is fun and personally rewarding by having opportunities to plant trees, care for trees, and distribute fruit trees! More information about TreePeople is available here.

Westwood Horizons Westwood Horizons is a single location retirement facility in Westwood that has been family owned since its inception on May 5, 1973. The safe and secure environment, beautiful décor, fine dining, superb accommodations, terrific amenities, and an outstanding activities program are but a few of the reasons that residents and their families are so content. Volunteers provide service by administering the ever popular Bingo and by participating in discussion groups, art classes, creative writing, birthday parties, and monthly theme parties with a band and dancing. More information about Westwood Horizons is available here.